Symphony Orchestra Ensemble
The Whitworth Symphony Orchestra is open to all Whitworth students by audition, and significant orchestra scholarships are offered to qualified students regardless of major. Wind and brass players are selected from the outstanding members of the Whitworth Wind Symphony and may receive additional scholarship funds to play in the orchestra.
The Whitworth Symphony performs the major symphonic literature as well as commissioned works by composers such as Brent Edstrom and Michael Young. Recent highlights include The Planets by Gustav Holst, Mahler's Symphony No. 1, Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, Dvorak's Cello Concerto with soloist and adjunct faculty member Roberta Bottelli. In 2017, the orchestra gave the world premiere of Gwyneth Walker's Let America Be America Again for narrator and orchestra. The orchestra also enjoys frequent side-by-side concerts with the Coeur d'Alene Symphony, an annual concerto competition and guest soloists including violinist James Buswell, and has served as the demonstration orchestra for a conducting workshop with maestro Eckart Preu. The orchestra was featured at the 2009 and 2018 WMEA conferences. Recent biennial tour destinations have included Hawaii, New York City, San Francisco and Salt Lake City.
String players also enjoy many additional opportunities including performance classes, chamber music, guest master classes and frequent clinics with principal players and conductors of the Spokane Symphony. String quartets and the newly founded string orchestra provide additional opportunities for the most ambitious players.
The full Whitworth Symphony Orchestra rehearses on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-6:15 p.m. String players rehearse additionally on Mondays from 4-5:30 p.m. Section rehearsals take place about once every other week, as arranged by section leaders.
The string orchestra rehearses Wednesdays from 4-6 p.m.
Entrance and seating auditions take place during the first week of classes. Scholarship students are automatically granted membership. Audition music is available midsummer, and audition sign-ups are available the last week of August.
Faculty
- Philip Baldwin, DMA: Director of Orchestras; Professor of Violin
- Angela Mitchell, MM: viola
- Jason Moody, DMA: violin
- Roberta Bottelli, DMA: cello
- Patrick McNally, MM: bass